Various forms of ammunition are known in the art. Generally speaking, ammunition includes any device capable of propelling at least one projectile toward a target (with or without directional guidance) upon the ignition of a propellant. Specific examples of ammunition include, but are not limited to, cartridge systems, high explosive projectiles, warheads, shaped charges, carrier projectiles, mortar ammunition, small arms ammunition, grenades, mines, pyrotechnics, improved conventional munitions, and terminally guided munitions.
One common example of an ammunition unit is a bullet/cartridge system. Such ammunition, which is typically referred to as a cartridge, is used in connection with various types of small arm weapons, including hand guns, pistols, rifles, machine guns, and the like. FIG. 9 depicts the components of an example cartridge 10. A bullet or projectile 1, which is typically made of copper, brass, lead or other metal, is inserted at its base end within the open end of a casing 2. The casing 2, which is typically made of brass, steel, copper, aluminum, or other metal, contains a propellant 3, which may be gunpowder, cordite, or the like. The base end of the casing 2 includes a rim 4, which is used to load and position the cartridge into and in a weapon for which the cartridge is designed and dimensioned. The base end of the casing 2 also includes a primer 5, which serves to ignite the propellant in cooperation with the firing pin of the weapon.
As is well known in the art, certain areas or components of ammunition are particularly susceptible to damage when mishandled. Such damage may occur, for example, during manufacture, shipping, transportation, or loading of the ammunition. These areas or components of the ammunition, which will be referred to herein collectively as “key areas,” should be treated with care during times when ammunition is susceptible to damage. These key areas include, but are not limited to: the area of contact between the casing and the projectile (referring to FIG. 9, the area where the base of the bullet 1 is inserted within the casing 2)—if this area is damaged, the projectile may misfire upon leaving the casing; the means for loading and securing the ammunition into the respective weapon (referring to FIG. 9, the rim 4, which is the part of the casing that assists in loading and aligning the cartridge for firing)—if this area is damaged, the ammunition may jam or otherwise improperly load into the weapon; the projectile (referring to FIG. 9, the bullet 1), which will have less accurate flight if its designed shape is impaired; and the ignition means for the ammunition (referring to FIG. 9, the area including and surrounding the primer 5)—if this area is damaged, the ammunition may not fire when the firing means of the weapon (e.g., the firing pin of a gun or rifle) is brought in operative connection therewith.
As mentioned above, shipping and transportation are two particular times when ammunition is susceptible to damage. This is because shipping and transportation generally includes the movement, loading, stacking, handling, jostling, and other forms of physical manipulation of the packaging within which the ammunition is held. During such times, depending on the cartridges, their packaging and the forces developed in the physical manipulation, cartridges can contact one another, contact the packaging, or otherwise be subject to physical forces from the outside that may cause damage. This is particularly true of the aforementioned key areas, which, by their very nature, may be more susceptible to damage than other areas of the ammunition.
Some known forms of ammunition packaging provide little protection for the ammunition, including its key areas, during shipping and transportation. For example, it is common to simply package a plurality of cartridges loose within a cardboard or paperboard box. In this type of packaging, the cartridges are free to move about and contact one another, which could potentially lead to damage. Other known forms of ammunition packing, which do provide a measure of protection to the ammunition, are bulky, expensive, and/or wasteful from an environmental perspective. For example, it is common to ship cartridges (as in FIG. 9), in what is may be referred to as a “test tube rack” form of packaging. The cartridges are inserted upright into aligned openings in the rack, which may be able to accommodate eight or more cartridges at a time. The racks are typically injection molded from plastic. While these racks do afford a measure of protection against damage, they require a considerable amount of plastic to manufacture, they are heavy and bulky, and they require expensive dies and complicated machinery to manufacture.
Thus, what is needed in the art is an improved form of ammunition packaging that affords protection to the ammunition during shipping and transportation. What is further needed is a form of packaging that is light weight, compact, easy to manufacture, and environmentally friendly (e.g., uses as little material as possible and/or is readily recyclable or biodegradable).